SAN DIEGO – A 32-year-old man armed with a plastic replica revolver was shot to death Friday by an employee of a North Park pharmacy when he allegedly tried to rob it for a second time, authorities said.
At about 11:30 a.m., the robbery suspect, whose name has not been released, entered the FedRx Pharmacy in the 4000 block of 30th Street near Lincoln Avenue wearing latex gloves and sunglasses, said San Diego police homicide Lt. Kevin Rooney.

An employee recognized the man as the same person who allegedly robbed the business of prescription drugs at gunpoint on April 11, Rooney said.

The man again demanded drugs, and reached for the butt of what appeared to be a handgun protruding from his waistband, according to Rooney.

As the man placed his hand on the gun, the employee who recognized him pulled a gun and fatally wounded the suspect, Rooney said.

The suspect collapsed near the pharmacy's front door and the employee called police. The suspect died at the scene, Rooney said.

It turned out the man's gun was a plastic replica revolver, according to Rooney. The employee involved in the shooting was questioned and released.

The Police Department's homicide team will investigate the shooting and present its findings to the District Attorney's Office, Rooney said.

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bratch

May 27, 2005, 11:28 PM

Any buddy want to take bets on the hell the poor clerk will go through for a GOOD shoot in the PRK?

Never take a plastic gun to a gun fight.

dasmi

May 27, 2005, 11:43 PM

Ah Les, so it did actually happen. Were you able to get it on the news tonight?

lwaldron

May 27, 2005, 11:46 PM

We'll air the story, but won't be going into the 2nd Amendment aspects. The level of interest in that aspect, here in the newsroom, was low.
I did put in some time trying to track down members of the SD Co Pharmacist's Assoc to talk about how often drug-stores are burgled and robbed for drugs (mostly Oxy-Contin), but it's the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

dasmi

May 27, 2005, 11:48 PM

Surprise surprise, interest in RKBA issues was low. :rolleyes:
See you tomorrow morning in Jacumba.

-Dave

thorn726

May 28, 2005, 01:03 AM

am i reading right we got a newsperson on the board ? awesome.

man the bummer to me about this is it is another hit against airsoft- most likely that's what the "replica" was.

beerslurpy

May 28, 2005, 01:59 AM

Oh no The Media! The Media is distorting our image!</chris rock>

Neat to have a newsperson here. Are you actually like a reporter or an anchorperson or something?

gunsmith

May 28, 2005, 05:54 AM

CA is still the west,it's not as bad as NY or NJ -it's bad but not that bad,as long as the clerk legaly owned the gun. he might get fired depending on whether or not he had permission of the owner. it is legal to ccw without a permit in your place of business in CA if you are the owner or have his/her ok to do so.
he should quit anyway,the dead guy might have friends/family to deal with.

first rule of a gunfight is have a gun,the 2nd rule is have a rifle the 3rd is have a friend with a rifle

c_yeager

May 28, 2005, 08:27 AM

I get the impression that its not a chain pharmacy, this could be very good for the shooter as privately owned pharmacies have a thin enough profit margin WITHOUT being robbed taht the owner might well appreciate the effort. Besides, based on my reading of the story it sounds like he shot in defense of person, rather than property, thats still pretty solid even in California.

Slimjim

May 28, 2005, 08:57 AM

I bet the robber's eyes got real big :what: when the clerk pulled his own gun on him, maybe then he realised, he should have brought a real gun as he was lying on the floor dying.

Good shoot for the clerk.

TallPine

May 28, 2005, 09:21 AM

I bet that teaches him not to rob drug stores .... ;)

lwaldron

May 28, 2005, 04:32 PM

No, I'm nothing so exalted as an anchor or reporter. I'm what's called an Assignment Editor. That means I answer the phone a lot, listen to the scanners, and decide where the photographers ought to go.
I do my best to influence what we cover, and how, but ultimately such decisions are made by people who drive much nicer cars than my own.

About the shooting, neighboring business owners we talked to were all supportive. "Good riddance," was what they said.

dasmi

May 28, 2005, 04:34 PM

About the shooting, neighboring business owners we talked to were all supportive. "Good riddance," was what they said.

Glad to hear that. San Diego is more conservative than a lot of the other large cities in the state. Probably because we're a military town.

Standing Wolf

May 28, 2005, 08:43 PM

It turned out the man's gun was a plastic replica revolver...

I'll bet he won't do that again very soon.

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